Clash of the Pium
by Sceptilelv100
Summary: Summary is on my profile.
1. Chapter 1

Clash of the Pium; Prologue.

_The wounds of the past always run the deepest… That which happens in our present will have lasting effects on our children's future… We all thought that we were immortal; that the rules didn't apply to us… We deserved our fate, but our children should not have to bear the weight of our foolishness…_

Night had fallen over the Ilex Forest, covering the land with a blanket of darkness, broken only by the stars and moon that pierced through the darkness, dimly illuminating the tops of the ancient trees. Beneath the dense branches, an eerie silence reigned over the forest. A slight breeze blew through the forest, rustling the leaves slightly. A Noctowl sat in a tree, watching for signs of prey, a strange smell caught its attention, and moments later; an explosion shattered the peace of the night. The plants in the center of the blast were vaporized, forming a charred circle in the ground several yards across. The Noctowl fled in fear, barely avoiding being roasted alive by the blast. Two eggs sat in the center of the charred circle, obscured by smoke.  
The few fires created by the explosion quickly burned out, a short time later, the smoke cleared. The eggs wriggled, as if trying to move around their new environment. Suddenly, the eggs emitted a blinding light, illuminating the forest for miles around. When the light faded, two baby Treecko stood exactly where the eggs once were. Knowing only that they were siblings, and their names, Fael and Ivy, the Twins began to explore the woods, searching for shelter that would become their home. Ivy giggled as the dry leaves crunched beneath her feet, while Fael sniffed the leaves cautiously, before he decided that it was safe to walk on them.  
Fael gave Ivy a disapproving look, silently chastising her for not being more careful, which Ivy seemed to ignore as she swiftly climbed a trunk of a tree and hung by her tail from one of the branches, giggling at Fael's worried exclamation. A few seconds later, Ivy climbed back down the tree, and the twins continued their exploration. The Pokémon of the forest seemed to be afraid of the Twins, as they saw no signs of life, excluding the rustling of leaves in the distance. Hours passed, and the Twins found themselves in a clearing, where several berries were growing. Ivy rushed forward, eager to eat the berries; Fael grabbed hold of her tail and prevented her from moving. She turned to look at her brother, wondering why he had stopped her. Fael gave her another disapproving look, silently warning her not to be so reckless, before he released her tail and cautiously picked one of the round, blue berries, examining it before nibbling it.  
It appeared to be non-poisonous, so he motioned for Ivy to eat one of the berries. She rolled her yellow eyes, and quickly gulped down several of the berries. Fael looked up at the moon while his sister ate, wondering where their parents were. Ivy burped, and began exploring the clearing, tripping over a tree root and landing on her face. Fael gave her a look that clearly said '_Don't say that I didn't warn you'_ as he walked over to help her up. Ivy's knee was slightly scratched, causing her to whimper slightly in pain. Fael sighed and picked another of the blue berries, squished it in his paw, and poured the juice over the wound, which healed almost instantly. Ivy's eyes opened in surprise, and Fael stored the information away in his memory for future use, knowing that Ivy would get hurt again due to her carefree nature. The moon was directly overhead, illuminating the clearing so that the Twins could see everything. Fael noticed a fallen tree a few yards away, it had been hollowed out by insects, forming a perfect shelter for the Twins. He pointed out the tree to Ivy, and she excitedly ran over to it, quickly diving headfirst into the trunk, much to Fael's dismay. He sighed, climbing into the trunk moments later, only to find that Ivy had already curled up and fallen asleep. He sighed, sitting at the entrance of their new home and keeping watch for potential enemies. A few hours later, he had fallen asleep as well. They slept long and deep, safe for the moment.

Fael awoke early that morning, and stepped outside, blinking in the bright sunlight. Once his vision adjusted, he began to examine the area that surrounded their home, noticing that there were several different types of berries in the clearing, the blue ones that they had eaten the night before, several spiky red berries that stung Fael's tongue when he tried to eat one, a bizarrely shaped pink berry that was very sweet, and a blue and tan berry that was extremely hard and dry.  
The other Pokémon seemed to still be avoiding the Twins, because these berries were obviously a major food source for wild Pokémon, though Fael had yet to see any other Pokémon besides Ivy. He wondered how he knew all this, but was unable to find an answer. He assumed that it was instinct, how he knew that word, he didn't know, and that it was normal. Despite his assumption, he couldn't help but think that he and his sister were different from normal Pokémon. Why else would the other Pokémon be avoiding them? He didn't know whether to be comforted or worried about the wild Pokémon avoiding them.  
He heard Ivy begin to wake up, and lost his train of thought as he began to gather several of the tastier berries for his sister's breakfast. Putting them on a large leaf that he plucked from a plant near the pink berries, he carried them over to where his sister was sitting, and set the leaf on the ground next to her. As she ate, Fael noticed several strange Pokémon gathered on the edge of the clearing, clearly wanting to get to the berries, but too afraid of the Twins to approach, confirming Fael's suspicions that the wild Pokémon were afraid of them. Once she noticed the other Pokémon, Ivy stared at them curiously, but Fael held her back, knowing that she would rush over to see the Pokémon if she got the chance. Ivy let out a disappointed sound and finished her breakfast slowly. Fael allowed her to explore the clearing once she was finished; making sure to keep her away from anything that could be dangerous. As the sun continued to climb in the sky, Fael couldn't help but wonder why they were here, and where their parents were.


	2. Chapter 2

Clash of the Pium; Chapter One.

_We had taken the gift that Arceus had saw fit to bestow upon us and used it in ways that it was never intended for… Warping it, corroding it, until it was unrecognizable… It was meant for so much more than what we did with it… In the time it took to raise a family, we were at each other's throats…_

* * *

Weeks passed, and the Twins had learned to speak by eavesdropping on the native Pokémon. Twice before, Ivy had attempted to talk with the natives, only to have them flee from her. Fael discouraged her from trying again, but she snuck up behind a Spinarak regardless.

_Why do I even bother?_ Fael thought. _She never listens…_  
Ivy suddenly pounced on the Spinarak, trying to pin it to the ground. The Spinarak panicked and slammed her against a tree, knocking her out cold.  
Fael jumped up in rage, _You'll pay for that!_ he thought, tackling the Spinarak before it could harm Ivy again. The Spinarak hissed and jabbed at Fael with the horn on its head, missing by an inch. Fael back flipped away, barely avoiding a thin white strand that the Spinarak spat at him.  
Leaping forward, Fael slammed his tail against the Spinarak, knocking it back a few steps. As Fael landed, the Spinarak spat another white strand at him, trapping Fael's arms to his sides. _Not good…_ Fael thought, trying to free his arms.  
The Spinarak clicked its pinchers in triumph, before firing a volley of purple spikes at Fael. Fael winced as the spikes dug into his skin and sent a deadly toxin into his body. His vision began to fade moments later as the Spinarak turned to where Ivy was laying, still unconscious.

_Get up and run!_ Fael screamed in his mind, unable to make his mouth work. When Ivy remained unresponsive, Fael channel what little remaining strength he had, and leapt into the air. When he was directly over the Spinarak, he spun and directed his energy to his tail. The Spinarak hissed in pain as its abdomen was crushed by Fael's attack. Fael's vision flickered and failed as he collapsed onto the ground and lost consciousness.

* * *

Fael awoke after what seemed like days, and was surprised to find himself back in the hollow tree that they called home. _How did I end up here?_ He wondered. He reflected on what happened earlier, trying to find an answer.  
_Ok… There was a Spinarak… We fought… I won, I think… Ivy was-_ He snapped upright. _Where's Ivy?_ He wondered, worried that she was still hurt back where he and the Spinarak had fought. He staggered to his feet, he felt as though he hadn't eaten anything for days. That, along with his exhaustion from the battle, almost made him fall over.  
Only the will to find Ivy kept him upright. He slowly walked out to the clearing, each step causing him pain.  
The harsh sunlight blinded him for a moment as he left their darkened home.  
When his vision returned, he saw Ivy picking berries from one of the bushes and gathering them on a leaf, exactly like he had done for her every morning.

Ivy saw him and walked over, trying not to drop the berries. Once she reached him, she pushed the leaf into his paws and forced him to sit down.  
"What happened?" Fael asked, his voice cracking slightly.  
Ivy pointed at the berries, "Eat."  
Fael complied after a moment, her words taking a moment to register. As he ate, Ivy began to explain what happened.

"After I woke up, I saw you lying on the ground, the thing that attacked me was lying a little bit away, it wasn't moving. I tried to wake you up, but I couldn't. I had to carry you back here. By the way, you might want to lose some weight…" Fael choked for a moment as she said that, she didn't seem to notice.  
"When we got back, I squished some of the blue berries, and poked that down your throat. You looked a little better, so I tried the same thing with the other berries," She gestured at the berry bushes, "but none of them worked as well as the pink berries."

Fael finished eating, "How long-"  
"Three days…" Ivy replied, cutting him off, "I was worried that you wouldn't get better…"  
"I'm fine, Ivy." Fael said, trying to reassure her.  
She punched him in the arm, growling slightly. "Never worry me like that again, Fael."  
"Worry _you?_" He snapped, "You're the one that gets into all those dangerous situations! That thing could have killed you!"  
"And it almost killed _you._" Ivy replied quietly.

Fael sighed, "How about this: We both agree not to do something that stupid again; Deal?"  
"Deal." Ivy agreed.

"Were you serious when you said I should lose weight?" Fael asked.

* * *

A few days later, when Fael was healed, Ivy dragged him to a pond that she had discovered while he was sick. While Ivy splashed around in the shallow area of the pond, Fael kept an eye out for any potential dangers.  
_Maybe I'm just being paranoid…_ He thought, seeing nothing amiss. Despite that, he couldn't shake the thought that they were being watched.  
Moments later, he saw several ripples on the surface of the water a few feet away from Ivy, and a blue-fin-like flipper disappear in the center.  
"Ivy! Get out of the water!" Fael exclaimed, running towards the pond's edge, prepared to fight. Ivy looked at him for a moment, and then his words registered.  
The ripples were closer, almost where Ivy was. Ivy quickly splashed out of the water, barely avoiding the beak-like jaws of a Golduck. As Ivy fled, Fael leapt forward, slamming his tail into the Golduck's beak. The Golduck staggered back, then set its piercing red eyes on Fael, curling its beak into a cruel smile.

Fael stepped back to dodge the jet of water the Golduck spat at him, desperately trying to think of a plan. The Golduck moved far faster than Fael expected, and slashed him with its claws multiple times.  
Fael jumped back, unconsciously shooting a thin, red beam at the Golduck, draining the Golduck's energy and restoring his own. The Golduck swayed, and then collapsed, completely drained of energy.

Fael kicked the Golduck, checking to see if it was trying to trick him. When the Golduck remained motionless, he walked away, leading Ivy back to their home in the clearing.

* * *

"You broke your promise." Ivy said angrily as Fael smeared a crushed blue berry over his wounds.

"It's not like I had much choice…" Fael replied sheepishly.

"You still broke your promise." She repeated, just as angry.

"Well what did you want me to do? Let that thing kill you?" He asked, scowling.

"You could have run after you hit it with your tail…"

"Sorry, I didn't realize that you were an expert in fights all of a sudden."

"I'm not… I just don't want to see you get hurt again…"

Fael looked at her, "And how do you think I feel?" he asked. "Every time you get attacked, I have to stop it, or I can't protect you!" He struck the ground, his eyes tearing up slightly. "I can't afford to lose you, Ivy."

She held his paw in between hers, "If you die, how can you protect me?" Fael didn't have an answer to that question. He stared up at the sky to avoid her gaze, and then said, "I won't put myself in harm's way… Unless you are in danger."

The sky began to grow dark as the sun sank behind the tops of the massive trees.  
"We should go to sleep… We've had a rough day." Fael said, standing up and walking into their hollow tree. Ivy followed him shortly afterward, falling asleep quickly.  
Fael stayed awake for a while, Ivy's words echoing in his mind… _If you die, how can you protect me?_ Monsters invaded his dreams that night, showing him ways that Ivy could get hurt.  
He tossed and turned all night, trying to shake off the nightmares that plagued him. He woke up screaming hours later, a cold sweat covering his body. He looked around, and saw Ivy still sleeping; he walked out into the clearing and saw that the sun was just beginning to rise over the tops of the trees. The morning dew glistened on the ground, reflecting the light so that the ground appeared to be covered in tiny diamonds.

Fael smiled slightly, enjoying the sight. He loved this time of day, when everything seemed so calm. His worried thoughts faded away along with the chill of the night. He began to collect berries for his and Ivy's breakfast, thinking of a way to ensure Ivy's survival if he wasn't there. He saw Ivy emerge from their home, and delivered breakfast to her. As they ate, Fael noticed that the forest around them was eerily quiet.

_Maybe the others heard about what happened at the pond…_ He thought, nibbling on one of the blue berries. Either way, he was glad that he wouldn't have to worry about being ambushed every five minutes. It made taking care of his sister much easier. Once they had finished their breakfast, Ivy climbed one of the trees that was across the clearing, giggling.  
Fael wondered what was so funny, moments before she leapt off the tallest branch, falling toward the ground.

"No!" Fael shouted, running to the tree, but he was far too slow. Ivy suddenly stopped moments before she would have hit the ground, suspended by a single vine that was tied to the top branch. Ivy laughed and began to climb back up the tree, much to Fael's dismay.

"Are you trying to scare me to death?" He exclaimed half in fear, and half in anger. Ivy kept laughing as Fael propped himself against a tree, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. "It's not funny!" He yelled up at her, moments before she repeated the stunt, scaring him even more.

_This is going to be a __**long**__ day…_ He thought.


End file.
